Hot Tub Time Machine writer Josh Heald recently wrote a short piece about the process of getting his film made. Regardless of how it actually comes out (opens this Friday, by the way), you have to admit the idea of pitching a movie called Hot Tub Time Machine is pretty awesome. For instance, did you know the original title was Hot Tub Time Machine: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire? Anyway, it’s a cute story (which you can read below), but more importantly, he describes how he was inspired by the movie you see above, 1984’s Hot Dog. Is it awesomely terrible? Well, let’s just say a Chinese guy cracks a peanut shell with a karate chop. You can’t take an Asian ski team anywhere.

So anyway, Producer Matt Moore remarks that someone should remake Hot Dog. I mishear him, because of an air conditioner or someone walking by. I hear him say “Hot Tub.” Call it divine intervention, call it what you will. Well of course my response is, “There’s a movie called Hot Tub? I would totally remake that.” Now keep in mind that I have no authority to remake anything. And a movie called Hot Tub doesn’t even exist. But that’s all beside the point. I’m ready to remake this! This bodes well. Matt tells me, “No, Hot Dog,” and I get a little bummed, because I remember when I was a little fat kid in the ’80s and saw the title, Hot Dog, I really wanted the movie to be about hot dogs. I also got burned by Hamburger…The Motion Picture. But still, I saw where Matt was coming from. A ski comedy. But how to do it in a not-lame fashion? I didn’t want to write a spoof. I wanted to write a movie that would allow real characters to live within the reality that only exists at a 1980s ski resort. The other question was what decade to set it in. Writing a ski movie with ’80s leads is invariably going to end up going down a schlocky road. But writing a ski movie set in the present day wouldn’t afford the same type of comedy without being inauthentic to the era. I was at a crossroads. If only there was a way to set it in both times. Some sort of time machine. A Hot Tub Time Machine.

Haha, good story, Josh Heald, it’s cute how you left out the part about cocaine.

In a nod to both 1980s cultural icons and the time-travel genre, the eponymous ‘hot tub’ in Hot Tub Time Machine is powered entirely by Michael J Fox’s involuntary spasms.

03.22.10 at 3:21 pm

Crapbasket

So he wanted to do a story at a different time so he decided to use a time machine as a plot device? Isn’t that used in about 50% of Star Trek episodes?

03.22.10 at 3:32 pm

Crapbasket

Some revolting shit up!

03.22.10 at 4:11 pm

silverscreenstoner

that story of his is about as exciting as the Jim Carrey film “The Majestic”. at least carrey does do gay shit like that anymore. oh wait.. [www.rottentomatoes.com]

03.22.10 at 4:33 pm

Homo Erectus

I think Einstein first postulated that if a man ejaculated into a Hot Tub and it traveled through time, it could “gay up” the next folks to get into it, well in the past. That Einstein, man… Did you know the M in e=MC2 was for “masturbate”?